Suggests that the animated cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head offer some utility in gaining insights into both the professional identities of teachers, and the behavior and self-concept of students. Explores aspects of stereotypes and behavior represented in the "Beavis and Butt-head" series and discusses some possible interpretation of these…

Proposes that two popular stereotypes of teachers, the sage and the guide, obscure the fundamental social responsibility of a teacher as an expert professional in a domain. Highlights include: Teacher as Information Conveyer: A Dying View; Teacher as Facilitator: Next Target of Automation; Shifting Markets; The New University; and The Professional…

Examines senior managers' and subject teachers' perceptions of department heads' participation in policy development and leadership in 24 British secondary schools. Readiness to embrace newer approaches matters. Schools that value and develop their subject leaders, often through reformed structures, generally have subject staff who feel well led.…

Reports initial findings of a small-scale research project investigating how school governing bodies contribute to school improvement. Examines the extent of board members' assumption of responsibility for monitoring and evaluating curriculum and school performance. Discusses possible tensions created by a lay body undertaking educational…

A study compared continuous discourse tracking rates in eight children (ages 8-14) with hearing impairments and eight typical children using three competing noise conditions: classroom noise, videotaped classroom activity, and combined noise and visual activity. Statistical analyses showed no significant differences among tracking rates due to the…

Qualitative research methods were used to investigate the perceptions of three teams of general and special education teachers concerning their educational roles and collaborative efforts in the inclusion of children with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. Findings indicated that initially discrete role boundaries were observed,…

Explains haptic computer interfaces for Web sites that relay touch-sensory feedback to the user. Discusses the importance of touch to cognition and learning; whether haptics can improve performance and learning; haptic interfaces for accessibility for blind and physically impaired users; comparisons of haptic devices; barriers to implementation;…

A study used impulse response measures and observations in 10 Florida classrooms to develop 10 recommendations for improving the acoustical environment in schools. Recommendations include improving air-conditioning systems, limiting room volume, providing sound-absorbing surfaces, using carpeting, reducing distance between teachers and students,…

The president of one campus of the newly decentralized, multicampus Houston Community College System (Texas) found herself immediately facing many problems of reorganization, including making program decisions, finding necessary resources, and developing essential community support. The role of the president that developed during this process was…

New college presidents are inundated with requests for their time, and their private life is often sacrificed. Each administrator must decide what is the appropriate balance among various aspects of his/her position. Physical separation of public and private lives is essential, and the role of the spouse, who may have other professional…

A framework is offered for college presidents to establish new leadership during the first two years of tenure, with time frames and tasks for engaging the community. Postinauguration strategies include addressing a long-standing need decisively, identifying/achieving one success within the new vision, developing a broadly participatory and…

American higher education continues to expect college presidents to take on an extraordinarily broad array of responsibilities, although the complexity of each responsibility has grown considerably. Many institutions give up on their presidents too quickly, never gaining the benefits that accrue from a longer tenure; most presidents serve less…

Qualitative study examined issues and events that led 221 women to an urban commuter campus of 16,000 students. Role exit theory was used to explain why the majority of these women stated past experiences played a major part in determining academic major and level of involvement in campus activities. Includes questionnaire. (JBJ)

Reports on the perceptual discrimination of segmental and suprasegmental phones by Japanese learners of English. Results reveal that early learners showed better discrimination performance than normal learners and confirmed the usefulness of learning English at an early age. (16 references) (Author/CK)

If female outdoor leaders assume a leadership style incongruent to their gender role, they may receive negative evaluations even though situations necessitate such behavior. Male and female outdoor leaders can break down gender-role expectations by identifying their own leadership styles and gender biases, creating awareness in colleagues of…